Japan’s defense ministry confirmed a historic first on Saturday as China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier group breached Japanese territorial waters near the nation’s easternmost island. The unprecedented incursion marks a significant escalation in regional maritime tensions and highlights China’s growing naval assertiveness in the Pacific.
The carrier group, consisting of the Liaoning, two missile destroyers, and a supply vessel, entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone approximately 300 kilometers southwest of Minamitori island. Japanese officials described the move as concerning, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirming that Tokyo had “conveyed an appropriate message to the Chinese side” regarding the breach.
Following their exit from Japanese waters, the Chinese naval formation conducted extensive military exercises, including fighter jet and helicopter landing operations. Japan responded by deploying the warship Haguro to monitor the situation, demonstrating the heightened state of alert triggered by the incident.
This latest development adds to a pattern of increasingly bold Chinese naval activities in the region. The same carrier group has previously sailed through different sections of Japan’s EEZ, including incidents near southern Japanese islands and areas close to Taiwan, each time prompting diplomatic protests from Tokyo and raising concerns about China’s expanding military reach in the Pacific.